Blog

RFPs: Request for Protection
by Elizabeth Friedland in Business, Miscellaneous Date: 08.05.10 7 comments
I personally find nothing more exciting than receiving a prospective client’s RFP. I love showing off my agency and communicating how we’re the perfect fit for their needs. There’s nothing more fun than wowing clients under conditions in which the sky is the limit!

Yet as exciting as RFPs can be, they’re also one of the trickiest procedures for an agency to navigate. When it comes down to it, agencies are paid for their ideas. We’re professional brainstormers. Our work is, quite simply, our ideas turned into deliverables. Because these ideas are so important, it’s vital to... read on
The Key to Client Satisfaction
by Ryne Meadors in Advertising, Branding, Design, Interactive Services, Promotions, Public Relations, Social Media Date: 06.24.10 0 comments

I was sitting in a meeting the other day listening to a woman speak about her dissatisfaction regarding a previous agency she had tapped to handle the advertising and public relations needs for her company. Her chief complaint was feeling that her company was not the number one priority of the agency. She further explained that there didn’t seem to be any type of consistent project management system in place, and as a result, projects weren’t completed when promised.

Project management is a major problem for many advertising and PR agencies, yet implementing a few tidy processes may... read on
When Stupid is Smart
by Louise Klann in Advertising, Branding, Public Relations Date: 06.11.10 2 comments
When I first heard that Chevrolet sent out a memo to its employees announcing that they were forever ditching the term “Chevy” to maintain its brand consistency, my jaw dropped. How could a huge corporation who had the best of available branding consultants, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, do something so stupid? Why on earth would they want to eradicate the nickname “Chevy” which has immediate emotional connections with their customers (the type of deeply rooted connections that every brand dreams of having), and insist on a brand name that doesn’t?

“Chevy” has been used for... read on
Buying the milk for free
by Elizabeth Friedland in Advertising, Branding, Business, Design, Interactive Services, Promotions, Public Relations, Social Media Date: 05.21.10 3 comments
From Pepsi to Folgers to Doritos to the neighborhood business down the road, corporate decision makers are letting the public call the shots on marketing strategy. They’re asking you – yes, you—to come up with slogans and taglines, jingles and theme songs, logos and business names, products and flavors.

Let’s take a behind-the-scenes look at how this crowdsourcing phenomenon was born, shall we?

Scene: Boardroom. Marketing meeting.

CEO: Sales are down nationwide for Big Box USA. Consumers aren’t responding to our current promotions. What’s our next move?

CMO: Well, we have an... read on
When Companies Ignore Branding Guidelines
by Ryne Meadors in Advertising, Branding, Public Relations Date: 05.13.10 1 comment
Each spring, I always look forward to the first of May for two reasons: summer parties and my annual trip to Churchill Downs for The Oaks and Kentucky Derby. Every year I can count on a fun-filled weekend catching up with old friends who fly-in each year for the occasion, having the traditional mint julep and seeing women in fancy, oversized hats.

This year’s trip to the racetrack was a little different, though. Yum! Brands, the official sponsor of the Derby, decided to do give one of its well-known chains a little makeover for the event. The world’s largest restaurant company altered the... read on
Dislike
by Louise Klann in Business, Social Media, Technology Date: 05.07.10 2 comments
Oh Facebook…. I have such mixed feelings about you.

I love the service that Facebook provides. How else could I so easily see the pictures of my countless cousins’ babies, new puppies and weddings? I completely understand that Facebook is a business and, as such, they have to look out for their own interests. I realize big business can’t be one big hippie lovefest. But as someone who has ridden the Facebook wave from the beginning, it’s hard to stomach the complete loss of control over my content (Did you know that Facebook owns ANY and ALL content you provide?) and the death of... read on
Five Dollar Foot Wrong
by Ryan Pylipow in Business, Miscellaneous Date: 04.29.10 0 comments
Recently, I was in Miami on vacation and decided to stroll over to Subway for a quick lunch. Little did I know that frustration and misery were in my immediate future, not to mention hunger pains.

As I entered the yellow and green shop, I noticed four employees on duty prepared to make their famous foot-long subs. Like anyone familiar with Subway, I imagined the service would be quite speedy. After all, Subway is an assembly line style shop and with a well-equipped staff of four manning the appropriate stations (bread, meat, veggie and cash register), I was sure to be in and out in record... read on
Psst. Stealth Marketing. Over here.
by Elizabeth Friedland in Advertising, Promotions, Public Relations Date: 04.20.10 3 comments
When many think about public relations and marketing, they think of traditional methods – press releases and media placements, brochures and signage or special offers and promotions. While these methods can certainly be effective, they can get a little, well… boring. Yawn.

So what’s the new trend in strategic communications? A method called stealth marketing is emerging as an exciting (and sometimes controversial) way to get the public’s attention. Marketers are getting sneaky… like a fox.

Fortune 500 companies are giving stealth marketing a try. BlackBerry reportedly enlisted a... read on